Graeme Shinnie scores on 600th appearance as Aberdeen brush aside Queen’s Park.
Aberdeen defeated Queen’s Park 4-1 at Pittodrie to advance to the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-finals, with Graeme Shinnie scoring on his 600th professional game. Aberdeen defeated Queen’s Park 4-1 at Pittodrie to advance to the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-finals, with Graeme Shinnie scoring on his 600th professional game. The Championship outfit began promisingly, but birthday boy Kevin Nisbet and fellow striker Oday Dabbagh scored twice in two minutes to put Callum Davidson’s side in serious difficulty. And seconds before the interval, Dons skipper Shinnie, who had previously played for Inverness, Derby and Wigan, marked a historic afternoon by firing in a third to effectively kill the Spiders’ hopes of winning the Scottish Cup, having defeated Rangers at Ibrox in the previous round.
Dabbagh added a fourth after 52 minutes, and while Spiders striker Zak Rudden cut the lead in the 68th minute, Jimmy Thelin’s team joined Hearts in the final four. Celtic face Hibernian on Sunday, while Livingston host St Johnstone on Monday in the other two quarter-finals. The visitors began the game confidently and with a threat. Following an Adam Devine corner, Jack Turner’s effort was blocked by an Aberdeen defender, and attacker Kyle Hurst intercepted Alexander Jensen’s short headed back pass within the home side’s box but was unable to convert.
At the other end, Dabbagh struck wide of the far post after an exquisite Shayden Morris ball, and midfielder Leighton Clarkson fired narrowly over the bar from 20 yards out. Nisbet, on loan from Millwall and enjoying his 28th birthday, broke the deadlock with a stunning flick-in from three yards at the near post from an Ante Palaversa corner. When the Glasgow side failed to clear their area correctly, the Dons attacked again. The ball was played to Morris, who crossed it to the back post, where Dabbagh knocked it into the empty net. Just before the halftime, Queen’s Park midfielder Sean Welsh seemed to kick out at Dabbagh as the two players grappled, but the referee took no action David Dickinson nor the VAR, despite a check.
Aberdeen effectively booked their last-four place in first-half added time when Shinnie picked up a clearance 25 yards out following a Palaversa corner and returned a drive which Calum Ferrie could only help into the net off a post.
The Queen’s Park goalkeeper was alert to block a close-range shot from Nisbet soon after the break but had little chance when Morris’ cross from the right, after he had skipped past Zach Mauchin, allowed Dabbagh to net from close range.
With the tie secure, Thelin replaced on-loan Charleroi forward Dabbagh, Nisbet and Topi Keskinen with Fletcher Boyd, Peter Ambrose and Papa Gueye.
Ferrie made a save from Morris’ strike but spilled the ball and had to scramble to complete the clearance.
Davidson’s side reduced the deficit when substitute Jadan Raymond’s free-kick into the Aberdeen area broke to Rudden, who popped the ball in from close range to give the small band of travelling supporters something to cheer.
Ferrie made further saves from substitutes Dante Polvara and Ambrose, but Queen’s also kept going to the end, although their fate had been sealed.
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